Currently unavailable

From Our Community

1 Image

“This stuff smells fab, I must say. Auggy shared it with me, and I only have to read the description to understand why. This stuff sounds right up my alley!
It reminds me strongly...”
Read full tasting note

“Tea Tally: 363
Hello Steepsterites! No, I hadn’t fallen off the face of the earth so much as I went on a wonderful vacation with Fiance. And I finially got to see Book of Mormon...”
Read full tasting note

yum. While the description says lightly smoked black base, i’d suggest they just take that descriptor off. There’s no smoke to be found here but there is a delightful blood orange flavour that is spot on. I really like how this one works – i can see this also being a tasty cold brew in summer with a little sweetner. thanks for sharing Evol Ving ness

Initially nervous about the smoky base, I almost didn’t get this. It was the blood orange that changed my mind. And I’m glad I did! The dry leaf smells glorious. Very heavy on the orange, not artificial or overly sweet. I appreciate that it is not nearly as smoky as other smoky teas, but it’s ultimately not my thing regardless. Leave the smoke at the door in this household.

While the orange is there, I just feel like I can’t appreciate it as much with the smokiness in the way. That said, if you like smoky teas, check it out. Even people who don’t care for smokiness like me may think this is alright.

Just so you know the tea is not smoky like a Laspang Souchong – but it is a Chinese Black base with a hint of smokiness – as compared to an Indian or other black tea base that would have a maltier or fruitier base.

After breakfast tea, another generous sample from Boychik.
This is a lightly smokey tea, & by that I mean not really smokey at all, maybe just a hint. Add an overlay of tart & tangy, from the blood orange, & there you have it. :)

Sipdown: Tony took a whiff of this & decided he wanted to try a cup for himself, so I brewed up the rest of it for him. He likes his tea with some of that crystal sugar in it, & I’m happy to report, he said it is “Delicious!”

Nice black -orange combo. Scores high on flavor profile but only medium on depth, which is the main feature I enjoy about blacks. Would benefit from upping the leaf volume per cup. I had to follow this with a cup of Samovar’s Blood Orange Puerh as comparison and found the latter had far more dimension to it, still a favorite despite its ginger component.

Plan is to try adding cocoa shells or nibs to this next time around.

Preparation

I love it when free samples expand my horizons. I would not have tried this – I don’t love smoky teas and don’t keep many blacks around at all. I happen to have just reviewed yesterday Shang Tea’s Tangerine Blossom though, so this is perfect timing for a comparison. The base tea here really only has a slight smoke, despite the description, and it’s at a level that makes the tea more interesting for me but doesn’t overwhelm. And I have to agree with another reviewer that the citrus notes are more like dried orange than fresh – with just a slight spice to it. Where the tangerine blossom is more delicate bright citrus floral, this has a slight smoky, spicy, fruity flavor. This one is actually quite a bit closer to the Constant Comment profile, though with subtler flavors. I actually really like both this and the Tangerine Blossom, I suppose depending on whether you’re having a winter night by the fire (Romanoff) or breakfast on the balcony (Tangerine Blossom).